The Bluegill Bug – Tossed Salad Bug

The Tossed Salad Bug is the result of me wanting to find a pattern that not only is tied big enough to interest bigger Bluegill, but, also for Largemouth Bass to take an interest in. A double duty bug, if you will. This pattern is a variation of a pattern from Ralph over at Ralph’s Fly Box. While Ralph tied his pattern to seduce some tricky Cutthroat Trout, he added that it worked for Bass and Bluegill when fished on his local pond. The “light” went on for me, if it worked on Bluegill and Bass, then it worked for me, too! The only variation to Ralph’s pattern is that I added a double set of rubber legs instead of just one for color effects. I also added the Chartreuse colored Elk Hair for the wing instead of a traditional deer hair colored wing.

What you will need to tie the Tossed Salad Bug

I used a Chartreuse colored thread 6/0

Hook – I use a 3xl nymph hook size (6-10), or, I just purchased some Gamakatsu B10S Hooks in size (6). Wide Gap!

Black Foam (2MM)

Black Ice Dubbing

Black and Chartreuse Rubber Leg material

Chartreuse colored Elk Hair

The Pattern Recipe For The Tossed Salad Bug

After attaching your thread to the hook and laying a solid thread base back to the barb spot on the hook, cut a longer strip of Black Foam width 1/4″

Cut the tip of one end of the foam into a triangle point and tie in the triangle point directly above the barb on the hook. **Tip** – The triangle tip should extend rearward and the length of the foam should go toward the eye of the hook. After securing the tip rearward, beginning wrapping close thread wraps down the foam binding the foam to the back of the hook. When you get to the eye of the hook “do not” trim the foam off. Simply fold it back over itself.

Make another thread wrap binding down the foam again which also makes for a nice foam head. Continue wrapping close wraps of thread down the back of the hook securing the foam again with close spiral wraps. When you reach the bend of the hook with your close wraps. then, it is time to trim the foam off square. Thus, the reason for the longer piece of foam that you originally cut. You will need all that length!

Take your thread and again, make close spiral wraps with the thread to the head of the fly and back to the tie in point at the rear of the hook. Essentially, you have bound down two layers of foam for the body base.

Next, using Black Ice Dubbing (any black dubbing will do.) Apply the dubbing to your thread twisting it as tight as you can to make a “noodle”. Wrap your dubbing noodle to about the half way mark of the hook shank.

Next cut equal length of both a Black and a Chartreuse rubber leg material and tie both pieces together on one side of the hook. Next, cut another length of the same rubber leg material, and tie it in directly across from where the other leg material is tied in.

Now, take your dubbing material and dub some more on to your thread. Carefully, separate the rubber legs one set rearward on each side and wrap one wrap of dubbing between the rear and front rubber legs. Fold the front rubber leg material back and begin wrapping the dubbing to a point near the foam head you created earlier.

Cut a fairly decent size clump of Elk Hair and use a Hair Stacker to even the tips of the hair. Measure your hair so that it extends rearward to a point just behind the bend of the hook. Tie your Elk Hair down just behind the foam head where your dubbing had ended. I make three firm wraps with the thread which causes the Elk Hair to flare our over the back of the hook.

Complete your whip finish knot and use Sally Hansen’s or other head cement to bind down the knot and Elk Hair.

As an option, you can also use Super Glue to bind down the foam to the thread base at the beginning of the tying sequence.

I realize that without pictures this appears to be a somewhat complicated process….. But, it really isn’t. After a few tied up the steps become common and your Bluegill and Bass are in trouble! If you have questions feel free to leave a comment and ask whatever you would like…….

I appreciate all feedback and look forward to hearing from my readers.

Mel

Comments

8 thoughts on “The Bluegill Bug – Tossed Salad Bug”

Well now, I was worried when I saw your blog down! Nice to see you have landed, and a great format! Very well done Mel. Hope all s well at home health-wise also. Good luck with the TS. Looks like a great improvement over my original.

Thank you, Ralph, the ride over the past couple of weeks has been a real rush! Trying to address my need for my own domain through Google, left me very concerned about the future of Blogger. So I went to a different server where my domain is owned by me and controlled by me, not Google! Happy to know that you found my new blog site, and very pleased that you like the format. Your comments are very appreciated! My wife is doing better, but, still has a ways to go before I can think about getting out and going fishing. In the meantime, I tie flies! When I read about your pattern and it’s success, my creative juices decided to give it a go. Is getting a lot of positive responses, so we will see. Thanks for being a friend and great BlogBuddy.

Howard, one more thing on Google and Blogger before I let this rest……………….I received a telephone call today from a woman who identified herself as Administrative Support. She was condescending, very agitated, and downright disrespectful of my actions of not staying with my domain from Google and moving to another server and blog base.
Unreal……………………………

Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment as always. Yup, even a Geezer can make a Tossed Salad! I hope you like the new format!

Mel
First things first—the new blog look is awesome; is WoodPress hard to set up? I have often thought about leaving Google; this blog format you are using may convince me to make a change. If I change can you help me out if I run into problems? Now for my second comment, I need some of those killers Toss Salads Bugs. I will need them in a size 10 pattern. I’m headed to another new lake tomorrow and wish I had some to take with. Thanks for sharing

Welcome, Bill, to The Bluegill Bug and the new format. You have been such a great BlogBuddy over the years that I wanted to plug your blog and other great BlogBuddies in some way. Thank you for the kind words on my new look!
Let me try to answer your questions:
1. WordPress is the top rated blog format out there for regular bloggers like us, and, is used extensively by business’s to run their blogs. No, it is easy to use and not difficult to set up. You can go the free blog route through WordPress.com {Similar to how Blogger operates) and that is fine. However, I wanted to have my own domain (space on the internet) that I am responsible for. That means I control what goes on the blog and what doesn’t. I, also, did not want to have Google up and decide to shut down Blogger and there goes my blog, bye bye! When you own your own domain, as long as you pay your domain fee each year, you and only you, can make your blog efforts disappear! So I purchased my own domain https://thebluegillbug.com (no one else can use that on the internet now!). In addition to your domain name, you will need to purchase a “Host” – That is a company who has purchased large quantity of space on the world wide web. I used Bluehost.com The total cost for me for my domain name and for the space on the world wide web was $72.00 per year. Renews annually, only if you choose to continue with everything as is!
2. The way I see it, while my blog is no longer free to me, I have much better control and security of mind that it won’t disappear on the whim of say, Google!
3. Heck, I spend $72.00 visiting Cabela’s to purchase tying material to feed the Bluegill and that is just a start to the cost of fly fishing as you know.
4. Bill, most importantly, I would be happy to provide you any and all the support you need if you decide to make a change. If you decide to change, leave your current blog up until the new one is ready to go. Again, I would be honored to help you out.
5. I would be more than happy to send you some Tossed Salad Bugs in size #10. I will let you know when they are ready to be shipped so I can get your new address.